Liquid Land Danish Wunderkind

Liquid have completed the signing of Danish sensation Lasse Bækkelund from Danish club OB Odense. The player is Liquid's marquee signing of the summer and will aim to lift the cup on behalf of his team. The 21 year-old completed his medical this week after agreeing to personal terms with Team Liquid. The signing represents Liquid's first ever foray into FIFA, and the club's manager is optimistic about the upcoming season.

"Lasse is a fantastic talent, with incredible work ethic and I can't wait for him to compete as a Team Liquid player at FIWC," said Victor Goossens, co-CEO of Team Liquid. "The competitive FIFA landscape, until now, has been dominated by players backed by traditional soccer teams. We're one of the first esports franchises to enter this arena. I'm excited by the opportunity FIFA and the FIWC presents to engage both traditional soccer and esport communities and I'm looking forward to see Team Liquid make its mark in the space".

Bækkelund represents a significant coup for Liquid, as the player has been one of the most sought after youngsters in FIFA over the past few months. Just this April, he finished second at Copenhagen Games 2017 where he defeated former FIWC Champion and Danish legend Agge Rosenmeier in a thrilling 5-3 barnburner in the quarter finals. A narrow defeat in the grand finals kept him from glory, but it still affirmed his place near the summit of the Danish top flight.

He is currently placed 6th in the table of the Danish FIFA rankings, an impressive feat in a country that continues to produce some of the best players in the world. Bækkelund will hope to emulate former FIFA Interactive World Cup champions and countrymen Mohamed Al-Bacha and Agge Rosenmeier in this year's showpiece tournament.

"It's an amazing feeling to be the first FIFA player to compete for Team Liquid, particularly at such an exciting time as I head into the FIWC Europe Regional Final," said Lasse Bækkelund. "Joining Team Liquid will give me new opportunities, plus knowledge and support to help me grow and improve as a player. I can't wait to compete for a team that has a storied history in esports, and hope to add the first ever FIFA trophy to Team Liquid's list of achievements!"

The speedster has won plaudits for his counter-attacking style of play that often results in entertaining games. His high pressure system requires a high work rate and tactical discipline, two traits that help him thrive in FIFA's high tempo. With many Danish and regional titles to his name, Bækkelund's next step is to conquer the World Cup.

Bækkelund will make his debut for Liquid in the FIWC 2017 European Regional Final. The top 5 players from the event will advance to the FIWC Grand Final in London in late August and compete against the top 32 players in the world.

FOLLOW BÆKKELUND

MAN OF THE MATCH

With FIWC 2017 in full swing, Bækkelund will compete at the European Region Final beginning on June 8th. He is the only seeded player in Group A, and he should feel confident about his chances of reaching the Grand Final. Despite his heavy practice schedule, he found the time to answer a few question to let us know a bit more about our new star player.

FIFA fans are all looking forward to the FIFA Interactive World Cup. Have you competed in the tournament before? What other tournaments have you found success in?

I have only participated in one FIWC before in 2015 where I finished 9th. I shared first place in Audi Cup 2015 in Germany, and besides that I've won many many titles in Denmark.

When did you realize that you had what it takes to turn pro?

I realized that I would turn pro when I was eliminated from my first Danish Championship by the eventual champion. The game ended 2-2 and I had a penalty in the 90th minute that could have eliminated him, but I missed it. He went on to win the whole tournament.

What do you think differentiates a really good FIFA player from a professional, in the way they play?

The patience and the mentality is the biggest difference between good players and pro players. Of course, the mindset is a big factor as well. If you want to be the best, you have to put some time and practice into it — and that's the way you go if you want to turn pro.

When building a FUT, what process do you take to select the players?

When I'm building my FIFA Ultimate Team I always starts with some pace and some physicality. That's the two most important things in the game, and by the start of the game, you do not really have a lot of coins to deal with. But when you get a lot of coins and want to build your dream-team, you will definitely start with buying the best player in the game and build your team around him!

Do you try to emulate the playing style of a certain team or coach? Do you take elements from real football and try to apply it to FIFA?

I try to play the counter-attacks. Liverpool and Real Madrid are two of the teams that excite me the most, and therefore I would love to play FIFA like they play. I don't really know if I take elements from real football, I just play FIFA like I think football should be played!

Who do you feel is the most underrated/overrated player in FIFA17 right now?

In my opinion the most overrated player in FIFA 17 is Manuel Neuer. He should be the best keeper—and in real life there is nobody even near him—but in-game he is just not as good as his rating says.

[E/N: In other words, he doesn't perform as well as his rating indicates (overrated) but his performance in the game should be better (underrated).]

What do you think makes spectating FIFA different from spectating a football match?

The difference between spectating FIFA and spectating football is the pace. In many FIFA matches there is a lot of goals, but even in the matches with no goals, there is still a lot of tempo, chances and fast play — and that's what makes it interesting.

What football club do you support? If you could compare yourself to any player or coach, past or present, who would it be and why?

My favorite club is Liverpool. I have a tattoo of their crest on my arm.

I think I see myself as a Jürgen Klopp type of player. I like the way he wants high pressure and a lot of fast play. That's also the playstyle I use.

If FIFA continues to grow and develop, do you think that we could one day see a FIFA pro-gamer become a football coach?

I don't know if a FIFA player could become a football coach. We have seen Football Manager players becoming coaches, but I don't think the tactical aspect in FIFA is deep enough for the football clubs to be interested.

And lastly, of course… If your family was kidnapped by pirates, which 3 football players would you recruit to help save them?

If my family was kidnapped I would recruit Daniel Agger, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson to save them.